At a Glance

The SteelSeries Flux In-Ear Pro is the perfect option for high-quality gaming or music listening while on the go—if you can afford the premium price tag.

Earbuds normally don’t have a place in a gamer’s arsenal. Also, some prospective users are put off by the idea of sticking little balls of rubber into their ear canals. Even if you fall into that camp, the SteelSeries Flux In-Ear Pro headphone just might win you over.

These $130 earbuds are a steep investment, especially when you could easily find larger, over-the-ear options with full surround-sound support for the same price. They don’t look like much and they aren’t designed by Dr. Dre, so why they heck would you spring for them? Because you’re a gamer on the go.

Bulky headsets are tough to lug around, especially if you already have a 12-pound monster of a gaming laptop. Keeping full-size headphones safe is a hassle that many gamers would rather avoid. The Flux In-Ear Pros give you the best of quality and portability.

The earbuds come with a pocket-size carrying case that holds accessories, including four sets of rubber and memory-foam ear tips in various sizes and shapes, optional wire holders so you can wear them over the ear, and swappable cable ends (a single three-pole 3.5mm jack and a combination 3.5mm headphone and microphone jack). Unless you can afford a custom-made set, few earbuds feel completely comfortable, and most have an annoying tendency to fall out. Wearing them over the ear with the right-size tips eliminates those annoyances and keeps them comfortably in place.

SteelSeriesA swappable single three-pole 3.5mm jack for music and phone conversations (left) and a combination 3.5mm headphone and microphone jack for the PC (right).

A combination inline microphone and controller provides easy hands-free calling and pause/play music control, but it sorely lacks a skip/back button and volume adjustment. Listening to music is a pain when you have to pull out your MP3 player to change tracks or adjust the volume.

The Flux In-Ear Pros offer good sound quality and great convenience for laptop gamers who need to stay nimble. The price is a hurdle that will keep budget-conscious gamers at bay, but anyone who can spare the cash won’t be disappointed.